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Tarrell Brown's family will be cheering him in Super Bowl XLVII as the North Mesquite High School graduate plays cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers. (Published Monday, Jan. 28, 2013)

A Mesquite native is among the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans for this year's Super Bowl.

This is the first trip to the Super Bowl for cornerback Tarell Brown, a North Mesquite graduate and former Texas Longhorn.

His grandmother, Bonita Brown, is tickled pink while wearing a red 49ers jersey with her grandson's name and number.

"I said, 'You remember that name "Tarell Brown?"' I wear this with a lot, a lot of pride and a lot of love," she said. "I love him so, so much. I'm so proud of my grandson."

Mesquite Athletics Director Steve Bragg, who coached Brown in high school, said Tarell has "a lot of God-given ability."

"And the thing -- as coaches, what we tried to do was just give him the focus and the work ethic, but he was a once-in-a-career athlete that you hope to coach," he said.

Brown, who graduated from North Mesquite High School in 2003, returns to the city where his passion for football started at a young age, his family said. Brown gives back by hosting a free summer football and cheer camp for hundreds of children. Last year's camp drew 400 kids from all over North Texas.

"The thing that I love about Tarell more than anything is that he is a humble young guy and he remembers where he's come from," Bragg said.

Bonita Brown said her grandson, whose parents died before seeing his success, is very resilient.

"He always knew what he wanted," she said. "He knew what his father and his mother prepared him for, and he just wanted to make them proud."

According to the NFL injury report released Friday, Tarell Brown, who has been nursing a shoulder injury, is listed as probable for the Super Bowl.